China 6-City 5-Day Budget Calculator (2026 prices)
6 cities, 3 tiers, 5 days — at a glance
Single foreign traveler, 2026 August (off-peak) prices, includes 6% VAT. Excludes international airfare to China. See the breakdown below for what each tier actually buys.
| City | Budget (¥) | Mid-range (¥) | Comfort (¥) | USD (mid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 Beijing History, Great Wall, Forbidden City | ¥2,200 | ¥5,800 | ¥12,500 | $800 |
| 🇨🇳 Shanghai Skyline, Bund, Disney | ¥2,500 | ¥6,500 | ¥14,000 | $897 |
| 🇨🇳 Guangzhou Cantonese food, dim sum, Pearl River | ¥1,800 | ¥4,800 | ¥10,000 | $662 |
| 🇨🇳 Chengdu Pandas, Sichuan food, slow pace | ¥1,900 | ¥5,000 | ¥10,500 | $690 |
| 🇨🇳 Xi'an Terracotta Warriors, history, food | ¥1,700 | ¥4,500 | ¥9,500 | $621 |
| 🇨🇳 Hangzhou West Lake, tea, nature | ¥2,000 | ¥5,200 | ¥11,000 | $717 |
| Average | ¥2,017 | ¥5,300 | ¥11,250 | $732 |
Where the money actually goes (mid-range, 5 days)
The mid-range tier is what most first-time visitors actually spend. Below is the per-city breakdown across six categories: hotel, intercity HSR, food, attraction tickets, local transport, and miscellaneous (SIM, VPN, visa, etc.).
🇨🇳 Beijing — ¥5,800 ($800)
- Hotel (3-star central, 5 nights): ¥1,800
- HSR or airport transfer: ¥1,300
- Food (Meituan + 1 nicer meal/day): ¥900
- Attraction tickets: ¥800
- Local transport (metro + DiDi): ¥200
- Misc (SIM, VPN, cash, buffer): ¥800
Don't miss: Peking opera ¥280-500 · hutong tour ¥300
🇨🇳 Shanghai — ¥6,500 ($897)
- Hotel (3-star central, 5 nights): ¥2,000
- HSR or airport transfer: ¥100
- Food (Meituan + 1 nicer meal/day): ¥1,100
- Attraction tickets: ¥700
- Local transport (metro + DiDi): ¥200
- Misc (SIM, VPN, cash, buffer): ¥2,400
Don't miss: Huangpu cruise ¥150 · French Concession cafe ¥300
🇨🇳 Guangzhou — ¥4,800 ($662)
- Hotel (3-star central, 5 nights): ¥1,400
- HSR or airport transfer: ¥80
- Food (Meituan + 1 nicer meal/day): ¥900
- Attraction tickets: ¥400
- Local transport (metro + DiDi): ¥150
- Misc (SIM, VPN, cash, buffer): ¥1,870
Don't miss: Dim sum brunch ¥200-400 · Pearl River night cruise ¥80
🇨🇳 Chengdu — ¥5,000 ($690)
- Hotel (3-star central, 5 nights): ¥1,400
- HSR or airport transfer: ¥60
- Food (Meituan + 1 nicer meal/day): ¥800
- Attraction tickets: ¥230
- Local transport (metro + DiDi): ¥150
- Misc (SIM, VPN, cash, buffer): ¥2,360
Don't miss: Panda base ¥80 · hot pot ¥150-300 · cooking class ¥400
🇨🇳 Xi'an — ¥4,500 ($621)
- Hotel (3-star central, 5 nights): ¥1,200
- HSR or airport transfer: ¥60
- Food (Meituan + 1 nicer meal/day): ¥700
- Attraction tickets: ¥250
- Local transport (metro + DiDi): ¥120
- Misc (SIM, VPN, cash, buffer): ¥2,170
Don't miss: Terracotta entry ¥120 · guide ¥200 · Muslim Quarter ¥200
🇨🇳 Hangzhou — ¥5,200 ($717)
- Hotel (3-star central, 5 nights): ¥1,500
- HSR or airport transfer: ¥73
- Food (Meituan + 1 nicer meal/day): ¥900
- Attraction tickets: ¥110
- Local transport (metro + DiDi): ¥120
- Misc (SIM, VPN, cash, buffer): ¥2,497
Don't miss: West Lake cruise ¥80 · Longjing tea ¥200 · Thousand Islands day ¥600
What each hotel tier actually gets you
| Tier | Type | Price/night | 5-night total | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Hostel 4-bed dorm | ¥80-120 | ¥400-600 | Beijing Downtown Backpacker |
| Mid-range | 3-star hotel, central | ¥350-450 | ¥1,800-2,200 | Holiday Inn Express Wangfujing |
| Comfort | 4-5 star hotel | ¥1,800-2,800 | ¥9,000-14,000 | The Peninsula Beijing |
Note: peak season (Golden Week, Chinese New Year) prices inflate 50-100%. Book at least 1 month ahead.
Intercity high-speed rail (one-way, second class)
| Route | 2nd class | 1st class | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing ↔ Shanghai | ¥553 | ¥933 | 4.5-6h |
| Beijing ↔ Xi'an | ¥265 | ¥443 | 4.5-6h |
| Shanghai ↔ Hangzhou | ¥73 | ¥117 | 1h |
| Guangzhou ↔ Changsha | ¥314 | ¥504 | 2.5h |
| Chengdu ↔ Chongqing | ¥154 | ¥247 | 1.5h |
Book 15 days in advance on the 12306 app (English version exists, buggy but works). For trips over 5 hours, first class is worth the 70% premium for the legroom.
Plan the rest of your trip
FAQ
-
Is 5 days enough for one Chinese city?
Yes — 5 days is the most common length for international visitors. In Beijing or Shanghai, 5 days covers 60-70% of the must-see sights plus 1-2 deeper experiences (hutong walk, day trip to a nearby site). For Chengdu + Chongqing, 5 days is tight — allow 7 days to do both justice. -
Can I really do Beijing for ¥1,800 (~$250) in 5 days?
Technically yes, but it's tight. The math: ¥400-600 hostel bed + ¥80 metro + ¥50/day street food + ¥170 attractions + ¥100 misc = roughly ¥1,500. We recommend ¥2,200 minimum so you can take a private car to the Great Wall (saves 2 hours) and have one mid-range dinner. Anything below ¥2,200 means sacrificing experience for cost. -
How do I split 5 days between two cities?
Best pairings: Beijing 3 days + Xi'an 2 days (4.5-hour HSR, ¥265 second class, book 15 days ahead). Or Shanghai 3 days + Hangzhou 2 days (1-hour HSR, ¥73). For first-timers, single-city 5 days is easier — intercity travel adds 4-6 hours of friction each way. -
Solo vs. couple vs. group — how much does it change?
Couples and groups of 2-3 cut accommodation cost roughly in half (sharing one room). For 5 days mid-range in Beijing, 2 people save about ¥900-1,500 vs. 2 solo travelers. Food and tickets barely change. DiDi rides can be split. Sweet spot is 2-3 people — coordination overhead rises sharply at 4+. -
What's getting more expensive vs. cheaper in 2026?
Getting more expensive: 5-star hotels (+15% YoY), Disney/Shanghai Disney (+8%), and the gap between peak and off-peak airfares keeps widening. Getting cheaper: eSIM data (-30% since 2024 as Airalo/Holafly entered China market), L-visa fee unchanged at $140, HSR fares stable, street food unchanged. The biggest budget lever in 2026 is timing — traveling March-June or Sept-Nov saves 20-40% vs. summer or Golden Week.